in Ẽplain

The Unhinged Genius of the Caty Dragon Fruit Noodles Meme

- Dragon fruit has existed in Vietnam for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the 21st century that it made its debut in instant noodles. 

in Culture

Revisiting Vietnam's Bootleg DVD Stores, the Dethroned King of Local Entertainment

Once upon a time, it was really, really hard to halt the growth of pirated DVD/CD stores in Hanoi. Nowadays, if you take a peek into the window of Hàng Bài Street’s former counterfeit/bootleg DVD stor...

in Tech

The People Building a Virtual Vietnam in the Pixelated World of Minecraft

Minecraft is now a modern classic world-building game allowing players to construct elaborate buildings using isometric cubes. Thanks to this endless stream of materials, one can theoretically build a...

in Ẽplain

How Táo Xanh Forum Created a Safe Space for Gay Vietnamese Before Social Media

Before Vietnamese could hop on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share our hot takes of the week, there was an era of past cybersphere when online forums were the crucial ...

in Tech

Vietnamese Indie Game 'Hoa' Wins 3 Awards for Best Art Direction, Music at Webby

The dreamy platformer snagged trophies for Best Art Direction, Best Music/Sound Design, and People’s Voice Best Art Direction at the awards honoring the "Best of the Internet."

in Ẽplain

Vietnam's Virtual YouTubers and the Surprising Bond of Anonymous Friendship

Vtubers have been taking the global streaming industry by storm for several years now, with millions of fans that span the globe, even in Vietnam. Yet despite this obvious popularity, local Vtubers ca...

in Saigon

Saigon Announces Plan to Give Poor Residents Smartphones to Aid Digitization

As more municipal administrative procedures migrate online, underprivileged citizens without smart devices are often left behind.

in Tech

Vietnam's Undersea Internet Cables Break on Average 10 Times Annually, Experts Say

Vietnam’s internet is inconsistent, but very affordable when compared with regional peers, according to experts at the recent Vietnam Internet Day 2021 conference.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Launches Campaign to Donate 1m Computers to Students for Remote Learning

The free computers, set to be distributed by the end of this December, are part of a larger effort to help the nation's K-12 students during remote learning.

in Tech

Saigon Releases Update of Map Portal With Local Covid-19 Cases, Vaccination Points

If you still find it difficult to fully grasp the scale and spread of Saigon’s current COVID-19 outbreak, look no further than this new map portal.

in Vietnam

Vietnam's Internet Much Cheaper but Slower Than Asian Peers', Report Shows

A new report from Broadbandchoices, a UK-based service provider for broadband, television, and mobile companies ranked internet accessibility for 169 countries, with Vietnam ranked 56th. One of the fa...

in Vietnam

Vietnam's Communications Ministry Opens Anti-Fake News Center

Will the organization become the Vietnamese Snopes?

in Tech

New Decree Imposes up to VND100m Penalty on Spam Texts, Calls

Will this stop the barrage of real estate and online game solicitations attacking our inboxes?

in Tech

Fast New Undersea Cable Linking Vietnam, Asian Countries to Come Online in 2022

Perhaps this one will be less delicious to sharks.

in Vietnam

2nd Internet Cable Break in 10 Days Further Disrupts Vietnam's Connection

In other news, water is wet.

in Vietnam

Vietnam Is Among Countries With Lowest Online Civility, Microsoft Report Shows

Microsoft has found an increase in online incivility globally, with Vietnam ranking as one of the least digitally civil.

in Vietnam

Viettel to Launch Commercial 5G Service in June

The nation's largest telecommunications company will unveil its 5G network for commercial use beginning in June 2020.

Khoi Pham

in Tech

A Brief History of the Internet in Vietnam on Its 20th Birthday

My first memory of the internet in Vietnam occurred in an internet café on Tran Hung Dao Street. It was the early 2000s: Walkman players were still a thing, MTV actually played music, and Britney Spea...